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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22478734">No Weirder Than a Mandrake Leaf</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/monochromedelirious/pseuds/monochromedelirious'>monochromedelirious</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Best Friends, Boys Kissing, Gryffindor, Gryffindor Common Room, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, James Potter is a Good Friend, M/M, Mentioned Peter Pettigrew, Mentioned Remus Lupin, POV Sirius Black, Quidditch, Sexual Experimentation, Sirius Black &amp; James Potter Friendship, Snogging</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:08:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,293</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22478734</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/monochromedelirious/pseuds/monochromedelirious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sirius likes getting snogged after Quidditch wins. But what happens when no one is around to snog him?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alice Longbottom/James Potter, Sirius Black/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>No Weirder Than a Mandrake Leaf</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quidditch was for snogging. Well, no. Quidditch was for winning. But wins were for snogging and if logic served Sirius right, and one thing that equaled another was also equal to something that the second thing was equal to, then that meant that Quidditch was for snogging. Then again, he’d never been very good at Arithmancy. </p><p>But he was very good at Quidditch. So good in fact that Gryffindor had easily won the first two games of the new term. Although he couldn’t take full credit for that. James had flown well, passing the Quaffle seamlessly between himself and the other chasers. Marlene seemed to have a built in set of binoculars attached to her head, allowing her to spot and move in on the snitch before anyone else even realized it was on the field. She was something else on that pitch, which was saying something, because even Sirius had to admit that his brother wasn’t a half-bad seeker. But they beat Slytherin despite the skill of the other team, and left the field on top of the world.</p><p>And after that first game, there had been snogging. The Gryffindor Common Room was a sea of crimson, bodies barely able to move in the celebrating crowd. Some seventh year had snuck in booze, and the bottle had been passed between the players, each sip taking them farther from the students they had been this morning and closer to the celebrities that they were after a win like that. Sirius had met Marlene’s eye as he passed the bottle to her, and a few minutes later he had her pressed against a wall, lips hot against each other and bodies tingling as their hands explored. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught James giving him a thumbs up as Alice buried her mouth in his neck, and Sirius raised his eyebrows and smiled before returning his attention to Marlene. He’d lose his virginity to her later in the year, but that night wasn’t about romance, it was about celebration. </p><p>He’d asked James about it the next day, was it weird to celebrate with snogging? James had shrugged and, making reference to the nonsense they’d had to go through to become Animagi, said nonchalantly, “No weirder than keeping a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month.” </p><p>But then was it weird if there wasn’t snogging after a game? </p><p>Sirius frowned slightly as he looked around the almost empty Common Room. This game had been different. It wasn’t the opener, and it had been an easy win against Hufflepuff instead of having the edge-of-your-seat suspense that had exploded into cheers in the win against Slytherin. But there hadn’t been any snogging. Not for Sirius anyway, because when he went to look for Marlene, she was off behind a sofa giggling softly with one of her roommates. There was still booze, and still celebration, but nothing like last time. </p><p>While he certainly didn’t expect anyone to snog him, Sirius found himself disappointed in the lack of pretty lips coming at him, especially considering he’d managed to knock the Hufflepuff Seeker clear off his broom as the bloke went for the snitch, and that deserved to be celebrated. Snogging had been a bloody good way to work off the energy of the game, and had given him plenty to think about when he next got a few minutes alone in his four-poster. <br/>He scanned the Common Room as people cleared out for bed, and made a face at James. </p><p>“I thought it would be like last time,” he said, shrugging. </p><p>“Yeah, mate, it’s just not as exciting as the first game.”</p><p>“Was it like that last year too?” Sirius tried to remember. </p><p>“The only thing you were snogging last year was your pillow.”</p><p>“Not true, I kissed Dorcas Meadows at Yule.”</p><p>“Doesn’t count,” James said, “someone dared her to.”</p><p>“That’s shite, that is.” Sirius waved as two of their older teammates went up to their dorm. It was just he and James left, but somehow the room didn’t feel nearly as empty as it could have. </p><p>He looked at James. James looked at him. They both smiled and Sirius found himself wondering if he’d ever realized that James was quite this pretty. Different than Marlene, or Dorcas, or Alice, or even Lily. His features were soft and his eyes friendly, like an errant laugh was lost behind the deep brownness of them. Sirius looked down for a moment, almost sheepishly, and then tucked a piece of loose hair behind his ear and shrugged. James returned the gesture, grinning mischievously, and then, just as suddenly as Marlene had caught the snitch earlier that day, there were hands pushing Sirius back onto the couch. Sirius laughed, the sound getting caught in his throat as he fell back, and James situated himself in a straddle over Sirius’s lap.</p><p> “Hey Pads?” </p><p>“Yeah, mate?” </p><p>“This weird?”</p><p>“No weirder than a mandrake leaf.”</p><p>“No weirder than a mandrake leaf.” </p><p>James licked his lips and closed the distance between them, his mouth soft and warm against Sirius’s. It wasn’t like kissing Marlene, it wasn’t desperate and insistent, but it wasn’t altogether bad, and Sirius smiled as he reciprocated. He closed his eyes and brought a hand to touch James’s shoulder, and James sighed against his lips, his glasses sliding down the length of his nose and pressing into their faces. They both chuckled softly as lips slowly became tongue and they melted into each other.</p><p>Sirius wasn’t sure how long they were kissing; but after what could have been ten minutes or just as easily ten seconds, James collapsed on top of him, laughing softly and laying his head on Sirius’s chest. Sirius smiled and ruffled James’s hair, laying his head back onto the arm of the sofa. </p><p>“Love you, Prongs,” he said, giving James a light smack upside the back of the head. </p><p>“Love you too, you ponce,” came a sleepy reply. </p><p>It was Peter who found them there the next morning, all arms and legs, hanging and draping over each other and the couch. He sat down in the armchair across from the sofa, and picked up a long forgotten box of Bertie Botts that had been abandoned during the previous evening’s activities. He picked up the box, popping a few of the sweets into his mouth before emptying the rest into his hand and throwing them, one by one, across the room at his sleeping friends. </p><p>“Mmmm,” Prongs groaned sleepily, “whysitrainingpebbles?” He slurred, turning to look in the direction they were coming from. “Morning Wormy,” he said, lifting up his head. </p><p>“Morning Prongs,” he threw another bean, pegging Sirius in the center of the forehead. “Morning Padfoot.” </p><p>“Where’s Moony?” Sirius asked, letting out a pained grunt as his eyes were assaulted by the light of the morning. </p><p>“Sleeping.”</p><p>“Bloody hell, I need a pepper-up.”</p><p>James looked up at Sirius and smirked, reaching to cup his cheek. </p><p>“You’re a terrible pillow, you know that?” he said, shifting his head back and forth to take stock of the pain in his neck. </p><p>“Not as bad as you are at snogging,” Sirius replied off-handedly. </p><p>“Hey, you bloody enjoyed that, you did!”</p><p>“You keep telling yourself that if it helps.”</p><p>“Tell Evans, will you?” James said hopefully.</p><p>“I will do no such thing.” </p><p>“Because you want me all for yourself.” </p><p>“Can’t deny that.” Sirius grinned.</p><p>Peter narrowed his eyes, trying to work out what in the world they could be talking about. “Did you blokes--?” He shook his head. No, they didn’t. That would be-- well, no, it wouldn’t, not really. “You are aware that you’re both all sorts of weird, right?”</p><p>“No weirder than a mandrake leaf.” They said in unison.</p>
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